Weather News

Minneapolis, Chicago May Receive Biggest Snow of Season

A winter storm will continue to spread a swath of heavy snow from the Dakotas to the Ohio Valley early this week.

This is the same winter storm which could bring significant snow to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metro areas with dangerous coastal flooding along the East coast Wednesday into Thursday.

This storm, which has already brought accumulating snow to the northern Rockies and rain showers as far south as San Francisco and Salt Lake City, moved into the Plains Sunday night.

Steady snow developed across eastern Montana through northern Iowa, with accumulations beginning in Bismarck, Fargo and Watertown, S.D. Blizzard conditions were reported from northeastern Montana to northwestern North Dakota.

Chicago can expect more snow to impact the area. Photo by Victor Grigas/Wikimedia Commons.

A band of snow developed from Minnesota to Wisconsin Monday and rolled southeastward over this area Monday night. Tuesday morning may reveal significant travel problems across I-35, I-43, I-90, I-29 and I-94.

Minneapolis will be clobbered through Tuesday morning, making for a nasty commute.

Around Chicago, heavy snow is expected much of the day Tuesday.

Winds will kick up over the snow area Tuesday, causing periods of low visibility and blowing and drifting snow.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists are expecting snowfall accumulations on the order of 6-12 inches from Fargo, N.D., through Minneapolis, Minn., through the southern suburbs of Chicago.

Minneapolis would need an accumulation of nearly a foot to surpass their biggest storm of the season, which was the 10.5 inches that fell way back on Dec. 9.

In the city of Chicago, approximately 6 inches of snow accumulation is expected through Tuesday with lesser amounts to the north toward Racine and Milwaukee, Wis. An accumulation of 6 inches would surpass the biggest storm of the season in Chicago, which to date is 5.4 inches that fell Feb. 26-27.

Snow will spread farther east on Tuesday, bringing accumulations to Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Toledo.

More than 6 inches of snow is likely Tuesday into Tuesday night from the northern suburbs of Indianapolis to near Gary with a corridor of 3-6 inches as far north as Kalamazoo, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio.

Moderate snow accumulations will then streak through central Ohio into the central Appalachians Tuesday night into Wednesday before our attention turns to the mid-Atlantic part of the country.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists will continue to update this story and our forecast snow amounts as this storm takes shape across the Plains tonight into Monday. Any slight fluctuation in the track of the system could mean the difference between heavy, travel disrupting snow or nuisance, lighter amounts.

Check back with AccuWeather.com and also click over to our Winter Weather Center for a larger version of our latest snowfall forecast map.